Getting to know the neighborhood

        The 2012 Fall Team came together on Oct. 11 when Sam, John, and Katrina arrived to join Tom and Mary who had arrived a few days earlier.  On our first evening together we were contacted by the field coordinator for Rabbis for Human Rights and asked if we could join a group of folks coming up from Jerusalem to pick olives in a field very close to our location.  It was feared that there could be trouble from an ultra-orthodox settlement nearby.  Despite some travel weariness, the Team decided to respond affirmatively to the request.  We are glad we did. (See our blog posted by Katrina on Oct. 16.) 

The Fall Team... Mary, Tom, John, Sam and "Dorothy" :)

On Sunday we decide to take a short trip north to the city of Nablus (pop.134,000). There we visit the Balata Refugee Camp which began as a tent city in 1950 when Zionists took over villages that are now part of Israel.  With United Nations help it now consists of permanent structures.  It is the largest refugee camp in the West Bank with 20,000 residents and is plagued by overcrowding and unemployment.  Adjacent to the Camp is the site of Jacob’s Well where Jesus met the Samaritan woman and revealed himself to her.  It is now the site of an Orthodox church which had its beginnings in 529 A.D.

The bazaar in Nablus

In the center of Nablus, we visit the famous Al Qasaba, a bazaar that goes as far back, they say, as 4000 years.  The name, Nablus, goes back to 70 A.D. when the Romans built a new city and named it Neapolis.  Today Nablus is known for its strong resistance to the Israeli occupation.  For that it has become known as The Radical City.  In 2002 a major battle took place in which there were 78 deaths, hundreds were arrested, and 64 buildings damaged or destroyed.  The UN estimated the damage at $110 m. (Wikipedia)

Jacob's Well

Balata Refugee Camp

In the Al Qasaba bazaar we visit an olive-oil soap factory deep within the labyrinth of shops and stands.  We talk at length with an older man who explains how olive-oil soap is made.   When we ask him how he feels about his city being under occupation, we are surprised by his calm reply.  We have been here for centuries, he says, and there may be times when enemies try to take our homes away, but we will still be here and in the end we will prevail, inshallah (God willing), and, if not in our time, we will still go in peace to heaven with God.

His words remind us of a poem that one of our Team shared the next day.
 It is called “Palestinian Am I” by Edna Yaghi: Here are the last two verses…

No one can take my identity

Away from me,

Not tanks or guns or bombs

Meant to desecrate me and kill me.

My country lives in me.

I am the cry of liberty

No matter what they take from me,

They can’t take away my identity

Or my dignity.

Palestinian am I.

To read the poem in its entirety, go to:  www.mediamonitors.net/edna9.html

By Tom & Mary

Come closer. Letters from the Holy Land*

* Yes, the Holy Land, exactly. Whole Land. The Holy Earth with all her
never ending patience, beauty, variety and ability to survive, surprise and be reborn, .

You who stand on our doorstep, come in

and drink with us Arabic coffee

[you might feel you are humans like us].

You who stand on our doorstep

get out of our mornings

so we can be certain

we are humans like you.

Mahoud Darwish

(Bio on the side:

Mahoud Darwish was born in 1941 in Birwa near Acre. He died in 2008. He had been actively involved in the cultural dimension of the PLO. As a poet, Darwish was both deeply personal and political. His personal love poems fuse with the political in the most extraordinary way.

Darwish was known throughout the Arab world as 'the poet of Palestinian resistance.', said Wikipedia)

Message from Tel Aviv

On the way to Palestine, we spent a night in Tel Aviv. Famous Sin City welcomed us with open arms with all its vibes, electricity, dizziness, colorful people looking straight in your eyes. Everyone who I talk to seems to be open-minded, friendly and well-educated. Ofir, our Israeli host, leaves us, perfect strangers, keys to his house and is giving me a good hug before we hit the road.

Message from the dawn

First morning in Palestine I am waking up with a muezzin (a chosen person at a mosque who call the prayer) and I am taking a dawn walk. The little white, dusty street is totally quiet, the town is slowly opening its eyes. I meet a cheerful girl who laughs to me and waves after me till I am completely gone. Two little boys invite me to their house. A few awake people shine when they see me and greet me. I am going to the mosque and it is so peaceful. The air smells like a delightful mixture of thyme, olives and some unidentified purple flowers. I can’t believe that in this paradise there is a fight going on.

Message from the soccer

Our very first day we go to harvest olives with a group of internationals among others many Israeli activists called by Rabbis for Human Rights. What’s the story about picking the olives? It does not sound like a serious peace mission, does it? Well, the thing is that for ages Palestinians used to take care of the trees (some of them are thousands of years old!), often it might be the only income for the family, from generation to generation they would produce olive oil and soap. Then the Israeli settlers came and forbade them from getting to their gardens. They would harass them, break their trees and shoot. That’s why part of our job here is to assist the families working in their fields to make it safer.

Palestinian woman selecting the olives, quality controller. 

During the lunch prepared by women from the family in the shadow of the trees we talk about conflict solutions.
 How about soccer for peace?:

Watch the video!

Boys school in Nablus.

They took five kids from each side and they gave them a ball. 5 year old children played soccer happily without thinking about the colors of their flags.

Children older than 10 years already had a problem: they would send a colleague first – you go, I’ll see if it is safe. After first recognition they would play together cheerfully.

Where is the link between these stories?

Message from Noam

In the bus going to West Bank from Jerusalem the Rabbis for Human Rights crew met this Israeli girl who asked them where they were going.

- To help some Palestinians pick the olives, they said.

- Are you crazy?! They will kill you!, she was absolutely frightened.

- You see, that’s the thing, explains Noam, film maker, journalist for social tv, we live in one land, but we don’t know each other. Most Israelis had contact with Palestinians only while in army service when they had to have a gun ready to point in ‘enemies’ direction. If your government gives you a weapon and a certain way of thinking, it's easist to believe Palestinians are bad people. Or rather – that they are not people at all.

Olives harvesting. Palestinian boy helping Israeli activist to wash his hands.

Message from Gabi
We meet an Israeli girl writing pro-Palestinian articles for a right wing paper (!). She says:  don’t get trapped. Do not come here just to help them, do not see them only as victims, try to embrace the whole picture. They cry and laugh, love and hate, play and fight; there is every day life going on, in all its cruelty and beauty.

Katrina,
MPT

On our way to Palestine!

Anchors Away! Observations and impressions on our way to Palestine

 We’re settled in on a Boeing 777 leaving Newark, NJ arriving Tel Aviv Ben Gurion at 8:25A the next day. Our seatmate is a young man who introduces himself as Alex. He’s maybe 22 years old, rather tall, swarthy, unshaven, lived in Russia as a child. Why are you going to Israel, we ask. I’m going on the Birthright program, he tells us. Birthright- which is primarily funded by Jewish philanthropists - allows persons of Jewish descent to go to Israel for ten days, free of charge, to tour the country. It will help him decide if he wants to move there. If he does, the Israeli government will help finance his move to the settlement of his choice in the West Bank. An effective way to grow the country – and promote a sense of connection between Israel and members of the Jewish Diaspora.

Faithful Jews praying at the Western Wall

 We’re arriving in Jerusalem after a long wait at the airport for a shuttle bus. Traffic is extremely heavy.  We see many tour buses lined up in parking lots. Israel’s new tramway, which opened last year, is jammed with people. Making slow progress on Jaffa Road leading to the Old City, we come to an intersection blocked by a police car. Our driver argues with the policeman to allow him to go through. No luck. Passengers going to the Old City’s Damascus Gate have to exit the bus. Five minute walk, he says. After a half hour walk in the midday sun, pulling our suitcases, we arrive at our destination. We have arrived in Jerusalem at the beginning of the Jewish Festival called Sukkot. It is observed in memory of the 40 years the Israelites spent in the wilderness after the Exodus. There are thousands of Jewish faithful in the city for five days. Jerusalem means everything to everybody in Israel/Palestine.

93 year old woman, displaced from her home

 We hear about a bus tour leaving from a local hotel called a “Political Tour.” We join a group of 25 students from Denmark and four tourists from Germany. Our guide is about 47, dark curly hair. He says he can pass for an Italian—and sometimes does. He tells us he has spent a total of nine years in Israeli prisons over the years. We go to East Jerusalem which was assigned to the Palestinians after the Six Day War in 1967. We see a large Jewish settlement, built with permission of the Israeli government, complete with a Separation Wall snaking between Palestinian and Jewish homes. We drive north through the massive checkpoint on Nablus Rd and make our way back to a section of East Jerusalem , called Sheik Jarrah, to visit an old woman (93). Some years ago a Jewish family from Brooklyn came to East Jerusalem. They claimed they bought the title to the house, which was issued many years ago during the time when the Ottoman Empire was in control, from owners who live in Turkey. Their claim was upheld by the Israeli Court. The old woman was forcibly evicted from her home by the police. However, she refuses to give up her home or leave her neighborhood. She lives on the street in front of her former house. That’s life in Palestine!

Written by Tom and Mary

MPT Fall 2012 Palestine/Israel Peace Team Arrives Safely

The Fall Team 2012 members have all arrived safely in country and cleared customs.  Thanks to all the home support persons and MPT volunteers and staff working to support this team in the field!

Please watch for blogs in the next few days with updates about the team, and then direct reports of their work in the field.

This team has been working hard for months on skills building, team building, fundraising and awareness work -- as well as other preparations for their team.  We look forward to sharing the stories of their work and those they meet in the field this Fall/early winter.

Please keep reading and watch for updates.

Nicole
MPT

Mary's bio

My name is Mary and I have been a registered nurse for 50 years. Besides the usual nursing jobs, I have had some unique opportunities.

During the Vietnam war I worked with CRS (Catholic Relief Services) in the refugee camps and orphanages for 1 ½ years. Basically this was a
“life changing” experience...I saw terrible poverty and grief and also met my husband, Tom.  We have been married 40 years.

From 2002-2004, I had the chance to spend 2 years teaching about HIV/AIDS in the schools in St. Lucia in the West Indies with the Peace Corps. With this experience, too, I worked with and appreciated a different culture. A year later, I spent 3 months working again in refugee camps in Sri Lanka following the terrible tsunami.

In all of these experiences I marveled at the resilience and hope of downtrodden people.

More recently, while being involved in the Pax Christi organization, I learned about the Michigan Peace Team. Once again it seemed like a good fit for my current interest--peace, peace, peace.

 

In 2009, Tom and I were members of the MPT fall team to the West Bank.

I am married and have 3 adult children and six grandchildren.

I look forward to being an anchor with  the 2012 Fall  Team.

TOM'S BIO-INTRO

Hello fellow peace activists,

My name is Tom and I will be going to Palestine in the near future with my wife Mary and three talented and dedicated young people.  Together we will make up the 2012 Fall Team on behalf of  Michigan Peace Team.

Mary and I are both retirees.  Our three children have left home and are living on their own.  Since our retirement Mary and I served in the U. S. Peace Corps spending 24 months in St. Lucia and 3 months in Sri Lanka.  Also, in 2009 we spent one month in the West Bank with MPT.

We are going to the West Bank again in order to stand with and support the Palestinian people in their struggle to be recognized and treated as human beings.  We invite you to follow our experiences by checking our blogs on a regular basis.  In that way you can experience to some degree what it’s like to live in a country that’s been under occupation for 45 years.

We ask for your prayers for our safety.  We’ll be back soon.  God bless.

Who I Am, Why I'm Going

Hello world,

My name is John. I graduated from New York University this May with a BA in Political Science,  and have subsequently found myself cast out into the cold, hard, unrelenting milieu  of "the real world." Gone are the days of my former college lifestyle; characterized at the basest level by an asymmetrical relationship between a burgeoning social life and listless relationship with academia. Not to say that all I did in college was party, on the contrary I had a very fulfilling and educational college experience, yet most of this occurred outside the classroom. I was influenced primarily by my surroundings and the people I surrounded myself with. I was possessed by an innate hunger to go out and see the world for myself, and to the best of my ability capitalized on opportunities in this realm as they presented themselves.

I travelled, spending a year studying in London followed by a semester abroad in Buenos Aires. While there, I explored South America, visiting the shrouded Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, the roaring cataracts of Iguazu Falls, and the irreverent revelries of Rio De Janeiro's Carnival festivities. I worked, spending summers on a cattle ranch in northern Wyoming and hiking the peaks and forests of the Rocky Mountains in my spare time. I also developed an interest in the political realm, interning at the United Nations under Ambassador Noel Sinclair, taking part in the Occupy Wall Street movement, and joining the political and social actions group Students for Justice in Palestine. Throughout these adventures my worldview remained in a state of constant formulation. It seemed that for every ounce of knowledge I gained, my overall understanding of the world around me grew more fleeting. Each new experience added substance while eluding clarity, magnified problems but provided few solutions, served me food for thought but no digestive tract with which to process it.

One thing, however, became increasingly clear to me: The world I live in, the world we share, is one currently dominated by a system that perpetuates unfathomable injustice and inequality. I was born into unimaginable privilege, having done nothing to deserve it, and yet until recently went about my life without giving a solitary fuck about the strife of the vast majority born into suffering and pain by sheer dumb luck. But that's not my problem, right? Not our problem as a society, not the system's problem, not something to be dwelt upon or troubled about, just a consequence of their culture of indifference and complacency, their lack of ambition, their inability to work hard or meet our naturally superior set of cultural norms (especially true if you listen to what the enlightened thinkers Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have to say).

But what about the privileged, a class seemingly increasingly defined by a culture of indifference to the plight of the rest? This is something that has really worn thin on me as of late. And so, following graduation, in lieu of sprinting headlong into the desperate rat race all bright-minded college students are indoctrinated to aspire to, I have elected to take a different path. Somehow I've managed to forgo the appeal of the life so fervently desired by a majority of my contemporaries boasting equally expensive, prestigious, and "valuable" degrees. I will resist the temptation of monotonous hours spent slaving away in a cubicle or some other equally fascinating site of corporate drudgery. Instead, I will devote a minuscule and, relatively speaking, quite unremarkable portion of my life to a cause that has captured my imagination, moved me deeply, and inspired me to action. Not to seem all high and mighty, but this small commitment seems to me a step in the right direction following a life that has thus far been filled with all the opportunity, privilege and earthly pleasures a 22 year old kid could ask for.

 I hope to accomplish at least the slightest bit of  positive change for a people who have been degraded and mistreated, pushed to the brink of inhumanity in a manner unfathomable to someone of my background. The Palestinians are an innocent third party unfortunate enough to inhabit a land fallen prey to the designs of foreign powers motivated by horrific circumstances beyond their knowledge or control. Their land remains occupied by an overwhelmingly superior power that is funded and unequivocally supported by my government. The same government I pay taxes to and pledged allegiance to steadfastly every day of my youth, with hand on heart and eyes on stars and stripes. I don't think that is right, and I'm tired of standing idly by while more and more gets  destroyed in this world by forces with which i feel in some way complicit, and at the expense of those rendered too weak to defend themselves. That is who I am, and that is why I'm going.

But enough of the overly intense political and philosophical stuff. It's late, I have a flight in the morning, and before long I'll be in the West Bank.  Peace, love, and in the words of the immortal Rage Against the Machine:

 "Fight the War, Fuck the Norm."

First Impressions

Hello new friend, my name is Sam. Imagine me this way… I am exceedingly handsome. My eyes have an emerald hue, akin to the deep pools of Xanadu. Each eye is flecked with golden rays rising to meet your prolonged gaze. My smile will do more than primetime television to melt away your daily concerns. My body and most notably my legs are mightier than a California Redwood. Not in height but more in general robustness/concretion. My gate causes foxy minxes to languidly fall to the sidewalk below. The sonorous rhythms of my voice have elicited praise from people like my mom and even from my father. Suffice it to say I leave quite the impression.

Jokes completely aside, I am thrilled to be part of this MPT peace team. We have an incredible group of people, and I feel so fortunate to be able to share in this experience with each one of them. Follow our journey to Palestine/Israel and back. We promise to give you full-ish access to our daily lives. Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with us. 

- Sam

who is on-board

I believe in gaps, unexpected exits, curiosity & secret gardens.

Dear Readers,

we are happy to share some hot news: The next "positively crazy" team is coming to the West Bank!

Who is "we"?

The first part of "we" is Katrina, in her twenties. Traveler, activist & artist. Living and on her way since four years ago. Independent photographer and journalist. Searching for forgotten, lost places and much more – people with various experiences, carrying the stories of their lives.

Used to work as a volunteer with disabled people (art therapy), sick children (Make a Wish Foundation), co-organizing various social projects (among many others: Free Tibet, Solidarity with Belarus, about North Korea, also gender topics), promoting culture such as literature, poetry, theatre.

 I lived in Athens, Greece for three months in a common teepee in front of Parliament during Occupy Syntagma square. This experience was an unforgettable workshop in nonviolent social disobedience.

Why do I participate in MPT?

I believe peace is not a political statement, but the most basic human right and it is everybody’s duty to demand it. I also think one of the biggest sins of our generation is ignorance. Going further, consciousness means given assignment, a challenge.

Also, protest is an art and I want to study on the best university – in action

Sincerely, in peace -

K

MPT Report on Palestine (Iowa 2012)